Car-coupling



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NEWTON J. sKAees, or MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,033, dated May 6, 1884.

Application filed September 5, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, N. J I SKAGGs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montgomery, in the county of Montgomery and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Couplers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of this invention, and is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a top View. Fig. 3 is a front View.

This invention has relation to car-couplings; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim appended.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, a designates the draw-head, having a vertical longitudinal recess, 1), in its upper wall, which extends from near the front end of said wall back a short distance in rear of the point at which the coupling-hook is pivoted, as shown.

About midway of the opening a in the drawhead anabutment, d,-for the link to strike against, is provided, its front face being curved downwardly and rearwardly.

e designates the coupling-bar, having a vertical arm, f, at its rear end, provided with a lateral perforation, 9, near its lower end, for the reception of the lateral pivot-rod h, having bearings inthe side walls of the drawhead, said bearings beingin rear of the abutment d, and below its upper face.

The coupling-bar e is provided at its front end with a downwardly and rearwardly curved hook, t, to engage the link when inserted in the draw-head. As the link. enters the draw-head, it strikes the curved front edge of the hook i and carries the coupling-bar e up in the recess b until the link end passes the point of the hook i, when, the coupling-bar will automatically drop, the hook i falling within the opening in the link, and thereby coupling the cars.

To uncouple the cars the ring 170 in the knob Z on the upper edge of the coupling-bar e'may be engaged by a hook-rod from the side of the train without entering between the cars, and raised when the train has beenslacked; or a chain leading from the ringto the top of the car may be employed for this purpose.

It will be observed that, by placing the lateral perforation g in the lower end of the vertical arm f, the line of resistance is on a line with the hook at the front of the coupling-bar, and on a line with the corresponding draw-head and hook on the next car, and that the line ofdraft is straight with the hook in the center'of the draw-head, and that no clutch, notch, or other device is required to hold the hook and link in their proper positions. Besides, the point of engagement of the link and hook is far back in the draw-head.

I am aware that it is not new, broadly, to provide a draw-head with a slot for the reception of a coupling-bar having at its rear end a vertical arm which is pivoted within the draw-head, having its point of connection on a line with the point of resistance upon the hook at 'the forward end of the coupling-bar, and therefore claim only the precise manner of construction as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a draw-head provided with the vertical longitudinal recess b in its upper wall, of the abutment d midway of the opening in the draw-head, having its outer face inclined outwardly and upwardly, in combination with the coupling-bar e, having the vertical arm f, perforated laterally near its lower end at the rear end thereof, and the downwardly and rearwardly curved hook i near its front end, substantially as specified.

F. M. WADE, G. LUDMAN. 

